Moments In Time
by SunWillRise2340
Summary: From the moment they met, the clock started ticking. There was nothing they could do. Because no one can turn back time. **Has been RE-WRITTEN.**
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Finding Sky in any way, shape or form.

**A/N: **To old readers, hi, to new ones, welcome. I have re-written this story, improved it, and added to it - now I feel I can continue and have it finished soon. _It is the same storyline, with some changes. _You may want to re-read the whole thing, as I have messed around with it, and Charlotte has been re-named as Adrianne for reasons of my own. Leanne has also been renamed. Enjoy, leave a review. I'd be glad to hear from you.

* * *

**Chapter One**

* * *

_Life is a heartless bitch. No one knows where it's going to take you next. No one knows whether it'll give you fame and success, happiness and love, or failure and misfortune, sadness and grief._

_This is what happened to me. Three years ago, I, Adrianne Rosanna Delemare was reasonably happy. I'd been in remission from cancer for two years; I had basically been told I was all but cured. I had a steady boyfriend, a group of best friends and was doing well as a senior at high school in Florida. My parents were in love, my older brother was achieving at his university. But, I repeat, life is a heartless bitch, and you never know where it's going to take you next._

* * *

My mind is in a haze as I slowly walk into the college cafeteria. Why me? Why the hell did it have to be me? Why couldn't someone else have had their share of bad luck for once? I could scream, sob, cry…but I won't. Doing any of that won't make it go away.

I find my best friend sitting in-between two boys with a third opposite her. I know them by sight, of course, having been in the same college for a year, but I don't know their names, as I've never talked to any of them before. They probably wouldn't want to be seen with a loser like me.

Obviously, the same doesn't go for my best friend. As I approach, Sabrina tosses her waterfall of long, dark hair back and giggles at something the blonde boy on her left said, then leans forward to talk to the brown haired boy across from her. Oh, I recognise him now I'm closer.

Will Benedict – captain of the baseball and football team, top of every class, every girl's heartthrob and every boy's best mate. Sabrina, like the rest of the females on campus, has been dying to go out with him, and now, I think dryly, she's getting her chance.

"Sab," I say quietly, tapping her on the shoulder.

She turns around, a hundred kilowatt smile already shining on her face. "Addie! Hey! How'd it go?"

"Sab, I need to talk to you," I say, trying to fight back the sudden tears that are choking my voice.

"Oh, babes, not now! I promise we'll talk later. Come on, sit down. Move up, Kian. I guess you guys don't know my best friend. This is Adrianne, but we all call her Addie. Addie, this is Will, Kian and Danny, and they sat with me, because I was all alone after you went."

I bite my lip as I slide into my seat. The thing is, I always give in to Sabrina, because I know my personality will never shine as bright as hers. I'll never be smarter than her, or cuter than her. She's beautiful in every sense of the word, and I'm just average. Always have been, always will be.

She turns to me, putting on a show of a caring best friend for the boys seated around us. "Are you hungry?"

When I shake my head, she laughs. "You really need to start eating, Addie, or you'll end up going anorexic on me. Trust me, I do not want an anorexic friend."

"Sab, I would not go anorexic on you. I'm just not hungry," I say quietly. The actual truth is that I'm likely to throw up if I eat something; my stomach is still churning with my horrendous news. If I vomited on Sabrina, she would never forgive me.

"So, how did it go?" she repeats, raising an expectant eyebrow.

"I don't want to talk about it now," I say. "Not…" I incline my head towards the boys, pleading at her with my eyes.

"Addie, I'm sure they wouldn't mind…" Sabrina starts but Will stands, running a hand casually through his hair.

"We'd actually better be getting off. Got training this afternoon," he says lazily, picking up his tray. "See you later, Sabrina. Adrianne." He winks at us, then lopes off, his friends following more slowly. Kian glances back towards Sabrina several times as they leave the dining hall.

"Addie!" Sabrina glares at me once the three boys are out of earshot. "I can't believe you were so rude! I was just getting there…"

"I was not rude," I retort, my anger and hurt bubbling to the surface now that we're alone. "Just now is not a good time, Sabrina!"

Her face pales, turning the colour of fresh-fallen snow. "Oh God…you…you…"

"Yes," I say shortly, closing my eyes. "I've relapsed."

"Addie, I am so sorry!" she throws her arms around me. "I should've guessed, I'm an awful best friend!"

I sigh, opening my eyes and returning her hug. She's always like this to me in front of the opposite gender, but when we're alone, or in our little group, she returns to being the best friend I made when I spilt orange juice all over her on our first day here.

"I forgive you," I say slowly.

"When's the first treatment?" she lowers her voice.

"Thursday," I say, resigned. "They want to knock it on the head as soon as possible."

"I guess that's sensible," she says, standing up gracefully. "Come on, I'll go and dump this, then we'll go shopping and get some cute scarves for when…you know…lose…"

"Good idea, Sab," I say gratefully, following her to the clear up area. Sometimes I am pleased that she's my best friend.

* * *

We stand in front of the mirror in a shop called 'Ever After', Sabrina shifting her fingers through my boring brown, shoulder-length hair, her eyes narrowed in concentration.

Scarves spill out over a chair, scarves in all different colours and patterns. Sabrina's fingers dance over them, and she picks out a gorgeous dark blue scarf with tiny little silver flecks in the material.

"This one brings out your eyes," she says, draping it over my hair so it trails down my back. "You have lovely eyes, Addie."

"Thank you," I say shyly, blushing.

"And then I think you should get several jewel tones – a green one definitely, maybe pink or purple, and a red."

"I bow to your fashion expertise," I tease, smirking at her in the mirror. She hits me playfully over the head.

We buy the scarves and leave the shop, absently wandering down the sidewalk in the sun-soaked afternoon. My stomach starts to grumble, complaining about the lack of lunch.

"I'm hungry," I say. "Starbucks?"

"Okay. Race you!" she calls, starting to run. I push off after her, but ever so quickly, startlingly quickly, I become breathless, and my vision starts to spin. I stagger to a halt, clutching my side and trying to get my breath back.

"Addie? Are you alright?" Sabrina runs back towards me, her face creasing up in worry. "What happened?"

"Its fine," I straighten up, taking in huge breaths of the cool, fresh air, feeling the dizziness subside. "Now I know not to have running races."

"But why?" she looks confused. I pull a face – Sabrina's never been exposed to cancer before, so she has no idea about any of it – apart from the whole losing-your-hair-because-of-chemotherapy thing, which I think most people associate with cancer anyway.

"Uh, I get breathless easily," I state the obvious.

She scowls at me. "I got that. Why?"

"Because my red blood cells can't carry enough oxygen to my muscles – therefore I get anaemia easily. But, I need that sugar rush…please, Sab?"

"Okay, come on, silly. But don't you dare collapse on me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," I reply, smiling sweetly.

* * *

Starbucks is practically empty as Sabrina and I buy our snacks and drinks from the bored-looking barista, before perching at a table near the window.

"Yum," I say happily, biting into my cookie. "This is just what I need."

"Same," Sabrina closes her eyes as she chews on her raspberry muffin, taking a sip of her iced tea. I've gone for hot chocolate – I only have so much restraint when it comes to chocolate.

"What classes will you miss on Thursday?" Sabrina asks me absentmindedly.

Why did she have to bring it up? I've always hated talking about my treatments, because it makes me think of them.

"It's at nine o'clock, and it'll probably take about three hours. I might try classes, but if I'm feeling awful, I'll probably go and lie down, so if you tell Dr Harkness that I won't be in tomorrow…"

"Sure can do," Sabrina smiles.

We finish eating in silence, then Sabrina checks her watch and sighs. "We've got to be getting back! I have an essay for tomorrow that I haven't even started!"

"Silly," I chide. "I did all mine yesterday."

"Piss off," she says good-naturedly.

"Well if I'm pissing off, you'd better come with me!" I shove my chair back with a screech of metal on tile, and sling my bag over my body. "Come on."


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Still not Joss Stirling, sorry...

* * *

**Chapter Two**

* * *

The nurse leads me into a plain, white room, with a comfy chair, generic paintings on the walls and a drip stand.

"Just sit there, then, Adrianne, and we'll get the platelets sorted for you," she instructs.

I dump my bag on the side-table and get myself comfortable, stripping off my hoodie to reveal my tank top, and the catheter I had put in two days ago in the crook of my elbow.

The nurse attaches a bag of platelets to the stand, and then rigs it up to my catheter. _This _part of the process is relatively painless – all I have to do is stay as still as I can as to not jig the set-up.

"So, we'll be back in half an hour to start the chemo, sweetheart," the nurse says cheerily. "Press the call button if you need anything."

"Okay," I say, not taking my eyes from the book in front of me. I hear the door close quietly as I turn a page. I'm reading The Girl at the Lion d'Or, by Sebastian Faulks. I'm going through a phase of reading and buying his books, ever since I read Birdsong, and fell in love with it.

After half an hour, two different nurses come into my room. I put the book away in my handbag as the younger one smiles at me. "Hello Adrianne," she says. "I'm Sorcha, and this is Maggie."

"Hi," I say. "Time for the chemo?"

"Yes," Maggie says. "But it will only last two hours today, as it's just a preliminary round."

"It could be worse," I try to force the trembling out of my voice – after all these years, I still loath chemo with all my heart.

"We aim to please," Sorcha smiles reassuringly. "I guess you know the drill, then."

"All too well, unfortunately," I sigh.

"Well, let's get on then," Maggie says, adopting a business like tone.

* * *

Time fades your memories, changes them from saturated colours to black and white. I haven't had chemo since I was sixteen, and boy have I forgotten how awful it is. Within twenty minutes, I start to feel sick, and ten minutes later, I start throwing up.

After another twenty minutes, Sorcha injects me with anti-vomiting drugs, and that does the trick, but still leaves me with a lingering feeling of queasiness.

The whole thing takes two hours, like Maggie said, but by the time it's done, I'm feeling tired and nauseated. After they've released me from the drip, I get up, trying to ignore the shaking in my legs, and follow Sorcha through to a smaller room, bright under the harsh hospital lighting.

She sits opposite me, holding a clipboard.

"I know you've probably had this talk before," she says, sympathetically. "But it is hospital protocol, so I'll just run through the main points."

"Okay," I say, swallowing hard.

"The combination of these drugs will make you feel really sick for a few days, but we'll give you a prescription for some anti-emetics to get from a chemist on your way home. Also, your skin will probably become dry and itchy, so it would be useful to purchase some moisturizing cream when you go to the chemist."

"Will my hair go?" I ask softly, dreading the answer. I lived through the pain of losing my hair three times, and I'll be damned if I have to go through it a fourth.

She looks slightly uncomfortable, but nods. "If it went last time, it'll go now," she says.

"Okay," I say. "Okay. That's fine. It's going to be fine." I knew it would happen, but I needed confirmation. Even though it was hopeless, I was hoping I'd be wrong.

"Here's your prescription," she says, handing me the green sheet. "Just take it easy, Adrianne, and we'll see you again in a week."

"Okay," I say, getting up and slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Thank you."

* * *

I find a chemist in a row of shops, and duck in to get my cream and drugs. The lady at the counter takes one look at my white face, and insists that I take a couple of tablets immediately. I don't argue with her.

When I come out of the chemist, I notice a hairdresser's across the street. I rake my hand through my lovely, soft hair and stare at the sign for a few seconds, crossing the road.

The bell tinkles cheerily as I push open the door, alerting the teenage receptionist to my presence. She smiles at me. "Hello, would you like to book an appointment?" she asks.

"Yes, please," I say. _I have to go through with this. _

"Okay, then. When would you like to book?" she flips through her notebook of times and days. I wonder morbidly if I'll still be alive when she reaches the end of the book.

"Do you have any spaces now?" I ask.

She studies her pad intently. "We have one in, like, five minutes if you could wait? Is it a wash and cut, or just a cut?"

"Just a cut," I say.

"Can I take a name?"

"Adrianne Delemare," I say.

"Okay, Adrianne, if you'd like to take a seat?" she gestures to the padded bench along the window.

I take a seat, and tip my head back against the cool glass, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. Now I'm here, I'm having second thoughts, but I won't allow myself to back out. I won't.

* * *

I sit in the hairdresser's chair, staring at my pale face in the mirror whilst a blonde thirty-something woman brushes my hair. "You have gorgeous hair," she coos. "Such a nice colour, and it frames your face so well."

_You're in for a shock, _I think as she places a black robe around my neck. The nausea is subsiding – evidently, my anti-emetics are kicking in.

"How much do you want off?" she asks, picking up her scissors, and snipping them a few times.

"All of it," I say bluntly. "I want the whole lot shaved off."

Shock causes her mouth to fall open, her green eyes to almost pop out of her face. "Honey, surely you don't mean that!"

"I do," I snap. "I want the whole lot gone."

"Are you sure?" she asks, almost tentative now.

I shrug nonchalantly, sitting on my true feelings. "It's all going to start falling out in about two weeks anyway…"

"Chemotherapy?" the woman catches on to what I'm hinting at. "Oh, honey, I am sorry."

"So am I," I say, holding still as she starts to cut my hair.

* * *

I look so different without my hair. Fiercer, somehow. Wilder. Almost beautiful, in a strange way.

Kiera, as I found out my hairdresser is called, unhooks the robe. "All done," she says, watching as I run a hand over my now bald head.

"Thank you," I say quietly.

"It was fine, honey."

"How much do I owe you?" I ask.

"Absolutely nothing," she says, waving her hand.

"But…" I protest.

"Get out," she says. "You don't owe me a cent."

"Thank you," I repeat, walking towards the door.

* * *

I get a bus back to college – unluckily it's full of kids, who stare me like I'm an alien from outer space.

I try to ignore them, but I can feel their eyes boring into me; hear their covert whispers to their bored mothers. What's wrong with that lady, Mummy? Mummy, why doesn't that girl have any hair?

I'm embarrassed, but I don't let it show; I just stare out of the window at the passing streets, golden in the midday sun.

Twenty minutes later, I'm standing in front of my mirror, the blue headscarf in my hands. My mother taught me how to put one on when I was seven years old, and it's taking a bit of thought to remember how to do it.

After a few tries, I finally end up folding it, then tying it in a knot at my left ear, letting the ends hang down onto my grey tank-top. I then lie on the bed and continue my book until I hear the bell for lunch.

I take a final look at myself in the mirror before I leave the room, adjusting the scarf, and pulling down my tank top. I don't know how Sabrina is going to react – she'll probably get grossed out by the catheter in my arm that is so obviously on display, but…

Why the hell am I thinking about what Sabrina wants? Why should I? This is my life, and I'm going through my own personal hell right now – I shouldn't even have to worry about her getting grossed out – that's her problem, not mine.

In the dining hall, Sabrina is sitting with Will and the blonde one again – Kian, I think his name is. I get a glass of water, and slide into the seat next to her.

"Hey, Adrianne," Will is the first one to speak. I smile briefly at him as he says, "Nice headscarf."

"Thank you very much," I say, taking a sip of my water. I am hypersensitive to Sabrina's stare, burning into my skin.

"It happened that quickly?" she squeaks, her hand covering her mouth.

I nudge her with my shoulder. "Don't be silly, Sab. I decided to get my head shaved – you know, so I don't have to go through any trauma."

Well, what do you know? Drugs evidently make me more confident.

"I…why?"

"Wouldn't you think it's traumatic for me to brush my hair every morning and have it come out in clumps?" my tone is saccharine, and I know I'm being a bitch, but after the morning I've just had…I'm not in the mood for my fickle best friend.

"Slow down," Will holds up his hand, as if to stop me in my tracks. "Why would your hair fall out?" I can see the puzzle pieces slotting together in his mind; he's frowning as he tries to work it out.

"I suffer from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia." I drop the bombshell.

His reaction would've been funny if the matter wasn't so serious. "You have cancer?" he splutters.

"Yes," I say, examining my nails, which are still pink and healthy-looking – for the moment, anyway. "And I had my first lot of treatment today. That's why I wasn't in."

"Okay," he sounds worried. "You're okay, though?"

"No," I say, suddenly annoyed at his density. "No, I'm bloody well not okay! I. Have. Cancer."

"Addie!" Sabrina looks angry, her dark eyes flashing at me. "Calm down!"

"How can you say that to me?" I ask her indignantly, slamming my hands down on the table, adrenaline rushing through my blood along with the chemo drugs. "I've had one hell of a morning and you're telling me to calm down?"

"Yes," she scowls fiercely. "You're embarrassing me!"

"I don't care, you selfish cow!" I spit. "Your best friend is sick, and all you care about is your shallow little appearance to the boys!"

Two spots of red burn high in her cheeks as she glares at me. _What is her problem! Just because she has cancer doesn't mean she has to be such a bitch! I mean, it's not like she's actually going to die or anything!_

I am so angry at the voice, my vision turns red. "I could very fucking well die!" I hiss at her. "And you wouldn't care at all!"

"Excuse me?" Hurt confusion crosses her face.

"Did I stutter?" I snap.

"What the hell, Adrianne? I didn't say anything! Why are you talking to me like that?"

"Because you're meant to be my best friend, and what the hell? Best friends don't assume things that they don't know!" I stand up.

Will suddenly looks alert, as Sabrina stands up too, tossing her hair. "I did not say anything!" she declares.

"You did!" I retort vehemently, before realising the whole dining hall is staring right at us like we've suddenly won the lottery. _Ah, hell._

Will stands up, holding out his hand between us. "Adrianne, could I have a word?" _Oh hello, Mr Peacemaker, nice of you to turn up now._

"Fine," I turn on my heel and stalk out of the hall, every eye following me as Sabrina breaks down into dramatic sobs.

Just outside, Will draws me into the shadow of a tree, away from listening ears. "Is there any particular reason why you started yelling at her?" he folds his arms, gives me a long, level look.

"For fuck's sake, Will, I don't need a lecture from you too!" I snap back, feeling an almost embarrassed heat flush across my face.

"No, please, humour me," his eyes are fixed on me, deep and brown.

"Because she assumed that I'm making a fuss over nothing; that I'm not actually going to die!" I throw my hands up. "She can't say things like that and get away with it!"

"Adrianne, she didn't say that," he says calmly, leaning back against the tree.

I snort. "Well, I definitely heard it. I must have picked it right out of her head," my voice drips sarcasm.

"Probably."

I stare at him, my anger leaching away to be replaced by bewilderment. "What did you say?"

"I said, probably. There's a highly likely chance that you picked it out of her head."

"What the hell are you on? This isn't a fucking fantasy story, Will!" I glare fiercely. If this is some practical joke, I'm going to kill him.

_Then why can you hear me now? _His voice reverberates around in my skull, tingling down my spine, warming me and making me shiver.

"I…I don't h…hear…a…anything…" I stutter, feeling overwhelmed.

_Yes you do. I can tell. _

I shudder. "Please don't do that, Will, it's creepy. You're scaring me."

"You can do it too," he takes one of my hands. I jerk away.

"No, I can't! I'm just an average, normal girl and my mind is playing tricks on me, that's all," I ramble.

"You're not average," he seems totally relaxed, a small, confident smile gracing his lips. "You're a savant."

"What?" I stare at him. "No, I'm not listening to this nonsense. I'm really not."

"You can't deny it, Adrianne. It's who you are."

"I can and I will." I turn away from the strange boy, start to walk; my head ringing.

_Bye. _His voice flows into my mind, like a beautiful melody, being played just for me. I squeeze my eyes shut, wrap my arms around my body in an attempt to protect myself.

As I round the corner, I think, _Good Lord, what just happened to me?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **I would love to be Joss Stirling. I've even heard her talk. But sadly I'm not, so Finding Sky does not belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Over the next few weeks, I avoid Sabrina and Will both. I'm not ready to make up with her, and I'm too damn scared to confront Will about that whole freaky talking-to-me-inside-my-head thing.

The one thing that does reach me through the gossip grapevine is that Sabrina and Kian are now going out, and that she's hanging out with his friends' girlfriends. Good riddance.

Today I'm back in the hospital for more chemotherapy, so, I'm sitting in my chair feeling sorry for myself. Sorcha flits in and out of the room, bringing me more anti-sickness drugs, a pillow for my head, a bucket to be sick in.

All the time, she chatters about little nonsensical things, which go a long way towards distracting me. Distraction is the best cure, my mother always used to say.

After I leave the hospital, I head back to college, and sit alone in my room, working on an essay, and absentmindedly scratching my arm, which is aching away. I've become good friends with Alone recently, and I like it that way. No-one to argue with.

At lunchtime, I start feeling sick again, but it's still an hour until I'm allowed any other sickness meds. As Sorcha told me – the best way to combat sickness is to get lots of fresh air and drink lots of water, or soda.

Sighing, I wander down to the café on campus, and buy myself a Sprite, before heading onto the quad in the middle of college to flop down with my book in the shade. Within ten minutes, I start feeling better.

Half an hour passes – I finish my book; then I just people-watch. It's intensely relaxing, lying in the sun with my Sprite and watching the world go by – well, intensely relaxing until someone has to come up to me, smiling that gorgeous smile.

_How are you?_

I shade my eyes and glare at the figure towering over me. He smirks, flinging his bag down on the grass beside me and sitting down on top of it.

"What are you doing, Will?" I ask coldly.

"Being polite," he replies easily. "You looked lonely."

I edge away from him slightly, adjusting my pink headscarf. "How was your lesson?" he asks.

"I didn't go," I say shortly, avoiding his eyes.

"More chemo? That would explain the bad mood," he says.

"To you, maybe. To me, it's probably because a certain dickhead decided I needed company when I'm perfectly happy alone."

We sit in cold silence for a while, listening to the birds, before Will final gets up. "I'd better leave you alone, then," he says.

"Please do," I agree.

He laughs, shooting _See you later _over his shoulder. My idyllic mood shattered, I focus on directing my thoughts in his general direction.

_Would you stop with the freaky telepathic stuff before I murder you? _

He wheels around like someone took a plank of wood to his head, gawping at me. I stare at him.

"What?" I ask, innocently.

He doesn't reply, just glances around to make sure that no-one is watching us, then marches up to me and grabs my arm, pulling me upright.

"Ow," I complain. "Will, you big arsehole, get off me."

When he doesn't reply, I drop the cocky attitude. "What have I done?"

He shakes his head at me – he's turned as white as sheet – worse than me when I have chemo.

"Not here," he says, towing me into a deserted classroom. He lets go of me, and I stand in the doorway, whilst he paces to the window. "You're my soulfinder," he mutters. "Soulfinder."

"What the hell?" I shut the door to give us some privacy. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He stays by the window, his figure silhouetted by the light pouring in. "You're my soulfinder."

"What's a soulfinder?" I cross my arms over my chest, trying to suppress the fluttering in my stomach.

"A perfect match," he says slowly, still gazing out of the window.

"You mean…like…a partner?" my voice comes out much squeakier than I mean it to.

"Yes," he pauses. "A soul-mate."

"But how…what…don't we get a choice in the matter? It's just you and me, together for all time?"

He turns to face me. "Pretty much – that is, if you don't run out on me like my brothers' soulfinders did."

"Damn," I swear. "This is too much! Savant, and now soulfinder. Well, I don't care. I'm not sure I even like you."

"Adrianne…you don't know how important this is!" he says, crossing the room and taking my hands. "Finding you is the best thing that's ever happened to me…don't you know that?"

"I'm sorry, Will. I can't do this. I don't have freaky mind powers, and I don't believe in soul-mates."

"Please, Adrianne…" he stares at me, straight into me. I feel myself gravitating towards him, pulled by a strange force I can't even name…

I jerk myself out of my reverie, turning away and pulling my hands out of his, walking out of the classroom and banging the door behind me. He doesn't follow.

* * *

Looking at my timetable, I realise that my lecture after lunch is the one I share with the one and only Will Benedict. Damn.

As I enter the fading lecture theatre, I spot Will standing with a guy near the front. When I slam the door, they both look up, Will narrowing his eyes at me.

I glare icily at him, and march into a seat in the middle of the back row, dumping my bag on the floor and getting out a pad of paper and a pen, then pretending to be immersed in doodling on the clean, white paper. I can feel their stares boring into the back of my neck.

The lecture starts right on time – it's an introduction to toxicology. I'm actually quite interested, scribbling down notes and watching the slide show – but twenty minutes in, I feel a drop run down the inside of my nose, and splash crimson red onto the whiteness of my paper.

_Oh shit shit shit. _I swear under my breath as the blood starts coming faster. I tilt my head back, pinching my nose and stick my hand in the air. The professor stops talking.

"Yes, Miss Delemare?" he asks, not looking up from his notes.

"Sir, my nose is bleeding," I say, my voice muffled by the steady stream of blood that is going all over my notes and clothes. My heart pounds, and I can feel tears springing to my eyes. Why won't it stop?

He looks up and I hear an audible gasp. Before I know it, someone is beside me, touching my shoulder. "Adrianne, what do we do?" Will's voice.

In that moment, I don't care about everything that's happened between us, the misunderstandings, the fights – all I care about is that he's there, waiting to do something for me.

"I need to go to the hospital," I choke out, standing up. He slips his arm around my waist to steady me, hands me a tissue to clench over my nose.

"Go," the professor says, frozen on the stage. Every other student in the theatre is craning their necks. Roll up, roll up, terminally ill girl with a nose-bleed – one pound per viewing.

Will escorts me out of the theatre, through the university campus. I pay no attention as he hails a cab, and snaps at the driver to get us to the hospital as quickly as he can.

The tissue is soaked, dripping blood onto my skirt – he hands me another one, tightening his arm around me. I burrow into his chest, and he doesn't even tell me to get off him, even though I'm soaking his shirt with my blood.

"It's okay, Adrianne, it's okay," he says, his voice soothing as he holds me tightly to him. "We're almost there."

At the hospital, the receptionist takes one look at me and my blood-and-tear-stained face and calls for a nurse.

"Come on sweetie," she says, taking my arm. Then she looks at Will, at the blood on his shirt, dark red against the pale colour. "I'm sorry, sir, you'll have to stay here."

For some reason that scares me, so I cling onto Will's hand. "He's my boyfriend," I lie. "Please can he come?"

The receptionist concedes, handing us over to a nurse who leads us into a room, where she helps me up onto a bed. Will perches beside me, holding my hand, pushing my hair back from my face.

Accepting Will Benedict as my soul-mate might not be so bad after all.

The doctor bustles in three seconds later. He takes one look at the blood all over my clothes and face, and says, "We'll have to cauterize."

"Shit," I say under my breath. For those of you who don't know, cauterization is one of the most painful things in the world – another thing that I hate. I've had to have it a couple of times before, and I cried and screamed my way through it.

Will lets me crush his hands all through the process, never once complaining.

* * *

After the doctor is satisfied, he leaves us with a nurse, who runs through the standard questions for the file, before cleaning me up and finding a fresh shirt. She discharges me, and Will and I wander out of the hospital, still hand in hand.

We amble down the street, into a little park with children shrieking and playing on the slide and swings. "Prof. Harkness won't expect us back," he says quietly, as we find a bench and sit down. He runs his thumb in soothing circles over the back of my hand, and again, I find myself leaning towards him, an asteroid pulled in by his gravity.

After a while of sitting in silence, he says quietly, "I know we haven't had the best of starts, Adrianne, but…" he pauses. "Could we try being friends?"

I bite my lip and look at him, straight into his soft brown eyes. Any other girl on campus would kill to be in my position right now, holding Will Benedict's hand like it's the most natural thing in the world. He's been so good to me, so kind, even though I keep pushing him away.

"Maybe," I say. "But I'm still not sure about the soulfinder thing. Or the savant thing."

"I promise I won't bring it up until you're ready," he says, seriously.

"Fine," I say, managing a small smile that causes my nose to ache. "Friends."

He pulls me closer, wrapping an arm around my waist again, and I rest my head on his shoulder, wishing I could get over this and just accept us.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still don't own it.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

* * *

It silent in the common room, apart from the speech emanating from the TV. I asked Will if he'd watch Birdsong with me – with the cute British actor and the girl who played Fleur Delacour in Harry Potter – and like a good friend, he agreed.

We sit on opposite ends of the comfy sofa, my headscarf trailing down my back as I rest my feet in his lap.

"I don't get why she leaves him," I say as the episode draws to a close, the theme playing as the white credits roll up a black screen.

"The crazy things people do for love," Will pulls a face at me. I smile absently, and move my feet, sliding up the sofa to sit next to him.

Over the past month, we've tried to wipe the slate clean, and start afresh. He hasn't spoken to me using telepathy since that day, and I've pretended to forget those two conversations we had, both of which ended in me storming away.

But ever so slowly, my feelings have changed. I've started to notice all these little things about him – the way his hair falls in his eyes when he's concentrating, the corded leather bracelet he wears around his tanned wrist, and the way his brown eyes sparkle whenever he sees me.

My heart always starts to race whenever he's near, and I get these stupid little butterflies in my stomach. But I've always tried to suppress those feelings, sit on them and pretend they're not there.

Until now. It is just the two of us alone in the common room, the air between us charged with electricity.

I lean over and take his hand. "Tell me," I say.

His eyes widen innocently. "About what?"

"You know very well what," I raise my eyebrows, and he grins, showing all his teeth.

"We're practically normal people," he says, his eyes fixed on mine, holding me in place. I couldn't look away, even if I wanted to. "Except with an extra shift in our brains, that allows us to do telepathy and telekinesis, and normally one other ability as well."

"What's yours?" I ask.

"The ability to sense danger, to me or those that I love," his words send a tingle down my spine. "Like the time you had that nose-bleed – I could feel danger for you, but I didn't know exactly what it was, so I held my tongue."

People he loves. He feels danger for people he loves, and he felt danger for _me. _I blush.

"What about soulfinders?" my voice is a mere whisper, echoing through the empty room.

A smile curves up the corner of his lips. In the dull light from the lamp in the corner he's so beautiful – I think I fall a little in love with him at that very moment.

"Soulfinders are conceived at the exact same time," he says quietly, his hand very gently coming up to rest against my cheek. Warm tingles emanate from the spot; I lean into his touch, craving more. "Somewhere in the world, when a savant is conceived, their soulfinder is conceived in that very same instant."

"It sounds like a fairytale," I whisper. "The prince and the princess, love at first sight, the happily ever after."

"You are my princess," he says, and kisses me.

It's everything I dreamed our first kiss would be, his lips soft on mine, sparks flying in the air around us.

He pulls away for a second, studies me intently. I don't give him a chance – I lean up and kiss him again, winding the fingers of one hand through his brown hair, the other resting against his chest.

He pulls me onto his lap, kisses my jawline, sliding his hands over my back. "Jesus, Adrianne," he says. "Adrianne."

"Shut up," I whisper, lacing my arms around his neck and kissing him, relishing the way he holds me, like I'm the most precious thing in his world.

The door slams open, hitting the opposite wall with a thud. The room fills with catcalls and whoops of returning, drunken boys.

"Hot and steamy much!"

"Get a room!"

I hide my face in Will's shoulder as he stands, picking me up with him. "Gladly," he says, his tone bright with laughter.

The next thing I feel is the cool night air on my back. I lift my head and smile radiantly at my soulfinder.

"Thank you," he whispers. "Thank you."

* * *

I'm lying in bed that night when the door cracks open, sending a beam of light. A slim figure is silhouetted in the doorway.

I sit bolt upright in bed. "Who is it?" I snap, peering at the person.

"Sabrina," comes the reply.

I lean over, turn on my bedside light. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry, Addie," she says, nervously entering the room. "I'm sorry for our argument – I was being silly and shallow, because I liked Kian and I wanted to show off in front of him, and that was wrong, because you needed your friend and I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry."

I stare at her for a second, touched by her apology. "I forgive you, Sab," I say, patting the side of my bed.

She sits down, pushing her shiny dark hair out of the way, looking at me with her dark eyes.

"I'm sorry too," I whisper. "I shouldn't have let my temper get the better of me."

"I forgive you, Addie," she says.

We sit in silence for a few seconds, then she smiles, hesitantly. "I hear from Kian that you and Will are finally together."

It was the right thing to talk about. I beam at her, suddenly joyous that I have my best friend back. "Yes…he kissed me tonight," I confide.

She giggles. "Is he a good kisser?"

I close my eyes, sigh heavily. "The best."


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine. Addie and Sabrina are mine, though...I will throw any plagiarisers to VivaLaVida1704...she's scary!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"You are so pretty," Sabrina tugs at the hem of her cream dress, eyeing herself critically in the mirror.

"If I'm pretty, you're drop-dead gorgeous," I reply, smiling at her as I tie my headscarf.

"Girls, are you ready?" Kian's voice yells from outside, impatient. They've been waiting out there for the past fifteen minutes, but Sabrina hasn't been allowing them in.

"Yeah!" Sabrina calls back. "You can come in now!"

The door creaks open, and Kian sticks his head around just as Sabrina twirls, the chiffon of her skirt swirling out around her. "What do you think?" she asks.

He stares at her, eyes wide. "Beautiful," he says, coming into the room properly. Remembering his manners, he adds, "And you look nice, too, Adrianne."

"Thanks, Kian. Is Will outside?"

"Yeah," he says, still transfixed by Sabrina. I slip past him out of the door to find Will leaning against the wall, his white shirt untucked and that bracelet ever-present on his wrist. His jaw drops when he sees me.

_You look so, so beautiful. _I smile at the compliment, mimicking Sabrina's twirl.

_You don't look too bad yourself, soulfinder. _He smiles and pulls me close to him. I lean my head against his shoulder, smiling at our nearness.

_You're going to outshine everyone at this dance._

I laugh. _You're biased._

_I'm not. _He denies vehemently_. The others won't know what's hit them._

I blush, change the subject. _Sabrina looks gorgeous._

At this moment, Sabrina and Kian choose to make a reappearance. Will takes a quick look at her and smiles, saying, "You look very pretty, Sabrina."

Inside his head, he says to me, _Nowhere near as stunning as you._

_Flirt, _I tease, linking my arm with his as we follow the others down the stairs, my pumps slapping on the carpet.

The hall is thumping to the sound of some rock band – I don't know or care which one it is. Never really liked rock or pop music. Just as we enter, the music changes to a slower tune, and people automatically pair up, slow-dancing in the swirling disco lights.

Will holds out his hand to me. "Dance with me?" he asks.

"I'll get breathless," I say, embarrassed. I also can't dance, unless it's ballroom.

"No you won't," he grins, pulling me into a ballroom hold. "We'll go slowly."

I laugh as we waltz around the room – everyone giving us funny looks, but I couldn't care less. My amazing boyfriend knows how to _waltz. _

"My mom wants to meet you," he says idly. His breath is warm on my face.

"Does she?" I say, leaning my head against his shoulder.

"Yeah," he sighs. "I was thinking you could come to stay over the Christmas holidays, in a few weeks, that is, if your parents don't want you to come back."

"They won't," I say.

He gives me a puzzled look. I sigh, unwilling to explain things when I'm having such a good evening. "I'll tell you later, just not here." Then I yawn. "I'm really tired, Will, can we go outside?"

"Sure," he says easily. "Come on."

We weave our way through the dancers out to the lobby. Will wraps his arm around my shoulders as we head into the chilly night air, frost already forming on the trees in the quad.

I sneeze.

"Are you okay?" he asks, worried. "I'm getting a feeling…"

"I'm fine," I wave a hand as we sit on a bench under a tree. I can see the stars shining, bright and cold and beautiful above us. Nothing will ruin this perfect night for me, not even my bloody illness.

Will places the back of his hand on my head. "Are you meant to be that hot?" he's deadly serious now.

"I'm not hot," I shiver. My teeth are suddenly chattering. "I'm cold. Give me a hug."

He puts his other arm around me. "I don't think you're meant to be that hot," he worries.

"Will, I'm fine," I maintain. "It's just cold out here, that's all."

He checks my temperature again. Dizziness creeps into the edges of my vision, so I clutch Will's hand harder. "Jesus, Adrianne, you're burning up," he says urgently. "Come on, we need to get you inside."

"I can't walk," I say plaintively, my heart beating fast out of fear. "The world's spinning."

He scoops my legs from under me, and starts to jog. "Listen, you stay with me, understand?" his tone is firm, but I can hear the absolute terror in it.

"I will. I'll stay." My view is getting dimmer, my ears are ringing.

"Don't close your eyes," he says. "Don't close your eyes. We're almost there."

A rush of warm air. I'm floating away, light as air. "Professor! Professor, phone an ambulance!"

"What in god's name?"

Darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Oh how I wish...but no, still doesn't belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

* * *

_Bleep. Bleep. Bleep._

"What's wrong with her?"

_Bleep. Bleep. Bleep._

"She's just got an infection. We've given her antibiotics. She'll be fine."

_Bleep. Bleep. Bleep._

"Are you sure?"

_Bleep. Bleep. Bleep._

"Yes.."

* * *

The sunlight wakes me up, shining bright and cold through the blinds. My throat is dry, my head spins. I can hear the bleeping of a monitor I'm attached to, and the steady breathing of someone fast asleep next to me. Will.

As if I've called his name, his eyes snap open. "Adrianne," he says, his voice full of relief. "Thank God."

"How long have I been out?" I croak, wincing at how raw my throat feels.

"Two days," he says, quietly, lowering his gaze. "I was so scared, Adrianne…"

"I'm thirsty," I change the subject. He smiles wanly, and reaches over to pick up a glass of water.

"Your nurse, Sorcha, brought this for you," he says, tipping it carefully to help me drink, his hand on the small of my back, helping me sit like I'm a new-born baby. The water tastes cool and clean and fresh.

"That's better," I say, once I've drunk my fill, letting Will rearrange my pillows so I can sit up unaided.

I notice flowers, sitting on the table next to me, bright colours of pink and purple and blue. "Those are pretty," I remark, taking Will's hand.

"Wal-Mart's finest," he says. "Sabrina got them for you."

"Has she been to visit?" I don't remember any of this.

"Yes, her and Kian. They came the day after you collapsed," he looks at me. "She was so upset."

"I'm sorry for scaring you all," I say.

We are interrupted by Sorcha bustling in, carrying a tray of implements. "Blood-test time!" she sings. I groan, never understanding how she can be so cheerful.

"Urghh, I hate blood tests."

"Sorry, Adrianne, but we'll have to do them more regularly after this scare. Can't have you keeling over any more, can we?"

"Damn," I mutter. Will smiles again, then squeezes my hand.

"I'll just pop to the loo," he says. "Is there anything you want?" he looks from me to Sorcha and back again.

"I'm hungry," I say. "What will I be allowed to eat, Sorcha?"

"Something bland," she says, turning to Will. "Tell the cafeteria ladies that it's for a cancer patient – they'll know what to send."

"Okay," he leans forward, and kisses the top of my head, sending a tingling warmth through my tired, beaten body. "See you in a minute, Adrianne."

"Okay," I say.

As the door bangs behind him, Sorcha snaps on her gloves. "He's a keeper, that one," she laughs. "Didn't leave your side for the whole two days."

I shrug. "I love him. And I know for a fact that he loves me too."

"That's sweet," she says, picking up her syringe. "You know the drill. Think happy thoughts; it'll be over in ten seconds."

* * *

The next few weeks are just boring for me. The doctors agree that I've recovered from the infection, but I'm still too weak to go back to college. So I stay in the hospital.

Will visits as much as he can, around lectures and seminars, often bringing work to sit and do by my bedside while I read the latest book he gets for me. Sabrina and Kian visit when he can't, distracting me with their light-hearted chatter, so I'm never really alone.

I keep track of the days.

On the fifteenth of December, Sorcha seems very happy when she comes in with a blood transfusion.

"You're being released in three days," she says cheerfully.

"Yay!" I feel like cheering and jumping up and down, so happy that I'll be finally out of this blasted hospital bed.

"But you have to take it easy. No going back to college," she says. "No more stress than is necessary."

"It's been the Christmas holidays for a week now," I say. "I missed the end of term and everything."

She laughs as she hooks up the blood to my catheter. "Of course, I forgot you college kids break up earlier."

"Sorcha, I'm twenty years old. I'm not a kid," I raise my eyebrows at her.

"And I'm twenty-eight, so you're a kid to me," she says, sitting down on the edge of my bed to take my pulse.

"We'll still need you back for regular chemo top-ups, blood transfusions and lumbar punctures, but unless you get ill again, you won't have to stay here."

"I am so happy," I enthuse.

"I guessed," she laughs.

* * *

The night before I'm due to be released, Will and I are sitting and playing Scrabble on my bed, watching the snow fall outside, feathery flakes of ice tumbling from a dark, cloudy sky.

"I was thinking you could come back and spend Christmas with my family," he says idly, pushing a piece of hair back from my face. "Mom's been dying to meet you."

"I'd love that," I say, thankful that it gives me an excuse to avoid my oh-so-happy family situation over Christmas.

"Don't you need to phone your parents, though?" he asks. "Come to think of it, have you talked to them at all this term?"

"No," it comes out sharper than I intend, so I put my hand on his. "No, I haven't phoned them, and I don't intend on doing so either."

"Why?" he presses, gently putting an arm around my shoulder, and causing the Scrabble board to fall off the bed with a clatter, the pieces scattering around the room.

I let the tears well in my eyes, too tired to stop them. "Mom died when I was sixteen, and Dad remarried an awful witch who doesn't want anything to do with me or Leo, my brother. All they're interested in are the twins, who would be three now."

"Have you tried talking to them?" he asks.

"Yes," I angrily wipe away my tears. "I told Dad I was going to college, and all he said was, 'sure, bye.' And then I left them a message about my relapse when I got the news, and I didn't ever get a reply! They've forfeited all rights to know what's happening in my life!"

"Adrianne, I'm really sorry…" he trails off, hugging me closer.

I let my head drop onto his shoulder, and I start to cry. "It's okay, babe, it's okay," he soothes me, rubbing a hand in circles on my back.

When I've composed myself again, I lift my head. He kisses away the tear-tracks on my face. "My family will be your family too, Adrianne. Mom will be delighted to have a fifth daughter. She feels the family won't be complete until she has seven daughters."

I laugh shakily. "Thank goodness for that."

* * *

We sit in Will's car, me wrapped up in many layers to keep warm. "It'll be fine, Adrianne," he reassures me. "They'll love you."

"Sure?" I ask tentatively. In answer, he kisses me tenderly. I cling to him, kissing and kissing until he reluctantly pulls away.

"They will love you as much as I love you, which is to the moon and back," he says. "Now c'mon, I'm starving, and Mom will not be happy if we delay lunch."

He opens his door, letting in a freezing blast of air. I shiver and open my own door, pulling my woolly hat further over my ears.

Will wraps an arm around me, guiding me towards the lights shining through the falling snow. He knocks on the door, and within a second it's flung open by a diminutive girl in a red reindeer jumper, with wildly curly blonde hair pulled away from her heart-shaped face.

"Will!" she squeals excitedly, giving him an enthusiastic hug.

"Hey, Sky," Will says, hugging her back with his free arm. She releases him, then hugs me too, which is a shock.

"I'm Sky," she says, "Zed's soulfinder."

"I've heard about you," I say, smiling shyly. "I'm Adrianne."

"It's so lovely to meet you – Will wouldn't say anything at all, and I've been dying to say hi for ages!" she rambles.

"Sky, can we not linger on the doorstep? Adrianne's just been released from hospital this morning, and I'm not taking any chances."

"Oh, of course, I'm being so rude! Come in," Sky shuts the door behind us, and says, "I'll go get Karla."

The house is cosy, and I can smell something cooking. I slide off my big, thick winter coat, and Will hangs it on the already overflowing coat hooks. I leave my hat and scarf on, because I'm still cold and nervous about what they'll say about my lack of hair.

Will notices my nervous expression and kisses me again, making my head spin. "Calm down," he whispers. "You saw how much Sky already loves you; the others are exactly the same."

A door along the corridor bursts open, and a small woman bustles out, clapping her flour covered hands.

"Oh my darlings!" she cries, making a beeline for us. She hugs Will, then me, almost choking the breath out of my body.

"I'm Karla, Will's mother. You must be the lovely Adrianne – come through, come through, I'm not sure what Sky was thinking leaving you out here. Do you want to take off your hat, Adrianne, otherwise you'll overheat in the lounge. Trace has just sorted the fire, so it's lovely and warm!"

We follow her down the hallway, and I take a deep breath to calm myself before taking off my hat to reveal the tiniest bit of soft brown fluff that has grown on my head since the induction phase of chemotherapy finished when I left hospital.

Karla pushes open the door to a sitting room – a sitting room full of people.

"They've arrived!" she cries, herding us in. "This is Adrianne, everyone."

"Hi," I wave nervously, as Will wordlessly tightens his grip around my shoulders. His steadiness helps me to relax as I take in the eleven people seated around the room.

One of the boys stands up – the one with brown hair and eyes like Will's who was sitting next to the fire with a pretty woman with black hair.

"Hi, Adrianne, I'm Trace. Welcome to the family."


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **I think you know the drill by now...not mine...

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

"WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEADS!" A loud voice yells. I groan, and drag my hand across my sleep-filled eyes, nestling closer into Will's warmth.

"Go away, Xav," Will complains. "It's six in the morning."

"No! It's Christmas Day, idiots. Everyone else is downstairs waiting for you!" Xav laughs.

"We're coming, we're coming," I yawn, and sit upright, stretching my aching arms.

"If you're not down in five minutes…" Xav trails off. My eyes snap open as I get a glimpse of his thoughts.

"Xavier Benedict, if you dare pour freezing water on us, I will personally murder you, understand?" I glare at him, and he grins cheekily.

"Perfectly, darling sister. Now get your lazy arses out of that bed!" With that, Xav disappears – I can hear him clattering down the stairs.

"Did he really just call me his sister?" I ask Will, who sits up next to me, swinging his legs out of the bed.

"Yeah," Will yawns. "They all consider you their sister, Adrianne."

"I'm touched," I say as he crosses the room and tosses one of his hoodies to me. I smile, pulling it on carefully. It smells of him, and is so big that it reaches mid-thigh on me.

"Merry Christmas," I say.

"Merry Christmas," he smiles. "Come on, I don't want Xav to carry out his threat."

"Okay," I say, standing up. The minute my legs take my weight, they start to ache with a vengeance, causing me to wobble. "Will, my legs hurt," I complain, sitting back down on the bed with a thump.

Without a word, he scoop me up, pressing a kiss to my cheek, before carrying me down the stairs.

The whole house is decorated beautifully – the stairs have fairy lights looping up and down them, paper chains and a nativity set adorn the kitchen, and a huge Christmas tree dominates the corner of the living room.

Will kicks open the living room door with his foot to reveal the rest of the Benedict family sitting and waiting in their pyjamas.

"Finally," Zed complains. "We thought you'd gone back to sleep."

"Sorry," Will sits down in-between Victor and his mom, keeping me firmly on his lap.

"Stockings!" Sky squeals, changing the subject of conversation.

"Well, do you want to give them out, Sky dear?" Karla smiles at her.

"Yep," she hops up from Zed's lap like a jack-in-the-box, and grabs his hand. "Come on, you lazy lump!"

He gets up and follows her to the fireplace where the twelve stockings are all laid out. I am completely touched that Karla and Saul still have stockings for their boys (even though Trace is nearly thirty) and for all the girls as well.

Sky is very excited as she hands them out to us – mine is dark green with silvery embroidery on it, whilst Will's is red and gold.

We slowly unpack them, showing each other what we've been giving and calling out thanks to Karla and Saul, who are sitting together and smiling at our enthusiasm.

In my stocking, I get two pots of nail varnish coloured in iridescent blue and sparkling green, a pot of strawberry lip balm, a set of sparkly gel pens, a pretty little silver bracelet with a heart on it, and a big packet of Hershey's Kisses.

"Thank you so much!" I tell Karla as Will carries me back into the kitchen to have a Christmas breakfast of pancakes and hot chocolate.

"Oh my darling, it's no problem – you're family now!" she gives me a very motherly smile.

I smile, and lean my head against Will's shoulder again. I've missed being a part of a proper family.

* * *

Later on, after we've opened our presents from each other, Will and I wander up to his room for some alone time. I lie down on his bed, but he goes over to his desk, and starts rummaging through the drawers.

"What are you doing?" I ask lazily, breathing in the smell of his pillow.

"You'll see," he says, shutting the drawer and coming over to me – lying down on the bed. "Close your eyes."

I obey and feel him take my hand, and place something in it, curling the fingers over the top. "You can open them now," he says quietly, putting his arms around my waist. I open my eyes slowly, and rest my head on his shoulder, uncurling my fingers to reveal the most beautiful necklace I've ever seen.

A dull gold colour, a simple chain with a squiggle of the metal as a pendant. Abstract and beautiful. He slowly strokes the soft stubble on my head with his hand. "Do you like it?"

"Oh, Will…" I stare at the necklace in my hand. "I love it."

His face cracks into a smile. "Do you need help putting it on?"

"Yes, please," I say, twisting around so that he can do the clasp for me. "I'm never taking it off," I say. "Never."

"I'm glad you like it," his arms go back around me, and I snuggle closer to him. He rests his cheek on the back of my head, kisses the back of my neck.

"I love you," I say quietly, my voice loud in the hush of his room.

"I love you too," he murmurs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **I'm getting bored of writing this now...still Joss Stirling's...

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

I lie on my side with my legs curled up, Will's hand clenched tightly in mine. "Are you alright, Adrianne?" he asks me, using his free hand to touch my forehead.

"Yes," I say, biting my lip. "I hate lumbar punctures, but they have to be done, so I have to put up with it."

"That sounds more like you," Will kisses my forehead as the doctor comes in, wielding a tray full of instruments.

"Hello Adrianne, my name is Dr Tate, and I'm going to be doing your lumbar puncture today. Do you know the procedure?"

"Yes," I say, gripping Will's hand tighter.

"Good, then, we'll just get it over and done with, hmm?" he swabs my lower back with a cold antiseptic wipe and inserts the first needle into my spinal cord. I scrunch up my face at the stinging sensation, taking in a shallow breath.

Will bends over so his forehead is almost touching mine.

"Just breathe, Adrianne, breathe," he whispers as the doctor inserts the second needle, pulling it out a second later.

"All done," he says. With that, he heads for the door, a couple of nurses in tow. Maggie helps me to sit up after dressing the puncture site with soft bandages and tape.

"We'll have the results in a couple of days," she smiles.

"Awesome," I say shakily, leaning back against the pillows for a second, before getting to my feet, Will's arm around my shoulder..

* * *

"Addie, phone for you!" Sabrina comes bounding in the door. "Mrs Hawkins wants you to go and see her."

"I'm coming," I groan, rolling off my bed and sliding on my hoodie and headscarf. I was going to watch Will's soccer practice, but now, I honestly can't be bothered. He won't mind – he'll just think I'm feeling ill again.

"I don't know who it is, she wouldn't say," Sabrina skips alongside me as we head slowly down the corridor towards the stairwell. "But it looked pretty important."

It turns out it is important – it's the hospital. They're too busy to book me in for an appointment; test results are normally like that. "Miss Delemare?" it's the voice of the doctor who did my lumbar puncture.

"Speaking," I lean against Mrs Hawkins' desk, fiddling with the end of my scarf, suddenly feeling nervous. What if something bad has happened…what if the cancer's spread to my central nervous system? How am I supposed to tell Will that?

"We've analysed your results, and I am very pleased to tell you that you've gone into remission again," I only really register the word 'remission' before I start to cry.

"You're serious?" I ask through my sobs, taking in Sabrina's worried expression.

"Absolutely," the doctor sounds cheerful as well. Here's one of his patients who has been a success story. "Now, though, I'm assuming you know the signs, so if anything feels wrong, anything, you understand, you come and talk to a doctor immediately."

"Yes, sir," I say, giggling through the tears. "Thank you."

With that, I put the phone down, and turn to my best friend.

"It's official," I choke out. "I'm in remission."

* * *

I run out across the frosty soccer pitches, my headscarf flying behind me. I can feel the wind on my cheeks, and I'm _not getting breathless. _The world seems oh-so-beautiful today.

The soccer team are in the middle of a practice match – I don't care. "Will!" I scream at the top of my lungs, waving my arms.

He immediately passes the ball to another team-mate, jogs over to me, his cheeks flushed with the cold air.

"What's happened, Adrianne?" his eyes sparkle with worry and hope as I fling myself into his arms.

"I'm in remission," I cry. "We did it! It's gone!"

His body is frozen with shock.

"Are you happy?" I ask, pulling away to look him in the eyes.

He stares down at me, a smile stretching his mouth wide. "I have never been so happy in my entire life," he says, picking me up and spinning me around, his lips crashing down on mine. My whole body feels alive, happiness seeping from every pore.

"Oi, Benedict!" the coach calls out. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing my girlfriend!" Will calls back, cheekily.

The coach snorts. "Get back to practice!"

I smile, and kiss him one last time, standing on the edge of the pitch as Will rejoins his team, them whooping and clapping him on the back.

It's the start of the golden time.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine, still Joss Stirling's.

**A/N: **Short and sweet is this chapter...they will get longer after 10...

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

**Five Months Later**

"I want to ask you something," Will says, fiddling around in his back pocket. The birds chirp around us, and the wind ruffles through my new hair, the brown strands falling unruly about my face.

May in the Wrickenridge woods is one of the prettiest times of the year; the sun is shining, the flowers are out, and the trees are green, with new growth.

"Shoot," I say, grinning at him. He's been claiming that I've caught the springtime madness bug that everyone's been suffering from, making me bouncy and giggly. That made me laugh at him, and cuff him gently over the head.

What he says next shocks me beyond all belief. "Marry me."

"What?" I say, shaking my head to clear it. "Marry…but Will, we're only twenty-one – we've got all the time in the world…"

"I know," he brings his face very close to mine, his warm breath on my face. "I know, Adrianne. But my brother married at eighteen, and I just think…you know, this is the right time for us, and you already know I love you and…"

"Shut up," I interrupt him, before kissing him till I'm breathless. "Yes, I will marry you, you crazy lovely boy."

He gives a shout before he's spinning me around again, kissing me and kissing me and kissing me until my lips ache and I'm dizzy from love and happiness.

My spine tingles and there are tears in my eyes as I smile up at him. I never want this moment to end.

* * *

"C'mon, Adrianne, you must have a preference," Phoenix, my sister-in-law to be stands in front of the rack of wedding dresses with her hands on her hips. Diamond sighs.

"Be nice to the poor girl, Phee," she says. "You were the one getting married once – and I bet you took even longer than this to pick out your dress."

"I have no idea," I say. "Honestly – I've never known what suits me and what doesn't."

"This one," Sky lovingly strokes the dress she likes the best, chiffon with a full skirt. "You'd look like a princess, Adrianne."

"Sky, that one doesn't suit Adrienne and you know it," Phee retorts. "This one on the other hand," she holds up a pale blue dress with darker blue detailing and thin straps, "would be perfect."

"No, I don't like that one," I say decisively. "I want a white or cream dress."

"How about this one?" Crystal holds out a cream dress with frills around the bottom.

"No," I say. "They just don't feel right, none of them do."

In the end, we leave that shop, walk down the main street, the sunshine shining brightly on the snowy caps of the mountains behind us.

"Wait, I have an idea," Crystal says suddenly as we pass a dingy little side-street. "I found this shop once…I think it's down here."

We turn down the street, pass dingy shops selling crystals and lengths of mirrored material, until we finally reach the one Crystal was looking for. It's window frame is painted in a chipping green paint, and the sign above the door says,

_Fairytales._

Tears spring to my eyes. Displayed in the window is a dress so similar to the one my mother got married in. Cream silk with thin straps, and a sparkling lace back. A long silk skirt, gathered at the back.

"It's perfect," I whisper.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Finding Sky as much as I wish I did...

**A/N: **Here's the new stuff, guys! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

The house is a hive of activity. Karla bustles around talking loudly about flowers and bridesmaids, the boys decorate the house, the girls pick out their dresses, and Will and I send invitations.

We are walking in the woods again one day, when Will unexpectedly turns to me, looks me straight in the eye.

"Adrianne…I have something I'd like to do, before our wedding day," he says, taking a breath. "I got hold of your father's number…"

"You did what?" I stare at him.

"I got hold of you father's phone number. I want to ask your permission if I can phone him."

"Why?" my voice gets louder. "He doesn't care about me, Will. If he cared, he would've been sitting beside me in the hospital, holding my hand through my chemo. Did he? No! You were the one who did that, who was there for me, not him. I'm ashamed to claim relationship with that man!"

Will lets me rant at him. When I've finally calmed down, he takes my hands. "Whether you like it or not, Adrianne, he's your father. All I want is for him to know that his only daughter is getting married."

"Alright," I say, quietly. "That's fair enough. But I don't want to talk to him."

"Fair enough," he echoes. "I have the number here now, if you want to be present."

"Fine," I sit down at the base of a tree. Will starts to pace as he dials the number, holds his phone to his ear as it rings.

I can just about hear what is being said when my _father _finally picks up. "Hello, Evan Delemare speaking."

"Hello, sir, my name is Will Benedict, and I'm your daughter's fiancé." Will says, his face expressionless.

"Adrianne has a boyfriend?" the man on the other end, the man whom I refuse to call my father sounds bemused.

"A fiancé," Will corrects. "We are getting married at the end of the month. Understandably, she doesn't wish to speak to you, but I wanted you to know about us."

"But hasn't she still got cancer? Isn't she still in hospital?"

This is the last straw for Will. "If you cared about your daughter, you would catch up with the times, and know that she has been in remission for the past five months!" he snaps.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that, young man," my father sounds angry.

"I dare if I want to. This is my last word. If you want to speak to Adrianne, then you phone her and apologise for the past four years. It's up to her whether she decides to forgive you or not," Will jerks the phone away from his hear, and slams the end-call button, dropping to sit beside me.

"I see what you mean, he's a jerk and not worthy of the title father," he seethes, clenching the phone in his hand.

"It was your idea," I remind him.

"I at least thought he would be happy that you're getting married! Isn't it the big day when all fathers are proud and all mothers cry?"

"For most people," I say. "I was thinking about this earlier, actually, and how I need someone to walk me down the aisle."

"Yes," Will looks at me, the anger fading from his eyes.

"I was thinking if I could ask Vick to do it, because with our wedding, we're delaying his trip to Afghanistan to find his soulfinder. It was a choice between Vick and Uriel, but since Uriel's in contact with his…"

"Vick would be delighted," Will tells me. "He may not show it, but he would be so happy if you asked him."

"Then ask him I will."


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Finding Sky in any way, shape or form.

**A/N:** I hope you enjoy the cuteness...I had fun writing it.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

"You look beautiful," Sky dabs at the corner of her eye with a white handkerchief, patting my shoulder.

"Thank you," I whisper, staring at the girl in the mirror. The tiara glitters against her hair, the veil sweeps down her back. Large blue eyes stare right back at me.

"He won't believe his luck," Phoenix laughs, picking up the bouquet of pale green and soft white flowers tied with a sparkling ribbon. "Here you go."

I blink, tear my gaze away from my reflection, turning to face my four bridesmaids, maid of honour, and little flower-girl, Lottie, a young cousin of the Benedict family.

"You look stunning, Addie," Sabrina says, stepping forward to tweak the strap of my dress, before smiling.

I bite my lip. "I'm nervous."

"Don't be," Diamond reassures. "It is nerve-wracking, but then when you're walking down the aisle, and all you can see is him…it'll be fine. Come on Lottie, shall we go and find Vick?"

The little girl nods shyly, darting one more look in my direction before following Diamond out of the room.

The other girls lapse into silence. Sky is holding Crystal's hand, smiling proudly. Phoenix checks her pale green dress is still spotless, adjusting the elegant plait of her dark hair.

There's a knock at the door. I start, rising to my feet. Sabrina opens the door.

"Are you ready?" Vick seems calm and collected as always. "You look lovely."

"Thank you," I say, stepping forward and almost enjoying the swoosh of my train on the floor behind me. He offers his arm, and I take it, closing my eyes for a second.

"Will is nervous too," Vick reassures me as the girls fall into line behind us. "Dad had trouble getting him to stay still long enough to pin the buttonhole in."

I laugh, the sound echoing in the silence of the antechamber behind the grand doors.

"Please stand for the entrance of the bride," I hear the priest say, then the rustling and murmuring of many people rising to their feet. The organ starts to play Pachelbel's Canon in D. My hands start to tremble.

The doors swing open, and we start to move, my silk skirt trailing over the flagstoned floor of the old church. My eyes search over the colours and hats of the people assembled, before finally coming to rest on Will, standing before the altar.

His eyes are fixed on me, an adoring smile spread across his face. The world ceases to exist. All I can feel is the pressure of the floor beneath my feet, the sleeve of Vick's suit beneath my arm, and Will's gaze, making me blush and smile uncontrollably.

When we finally reach the altar, Will takes my hand, leaning forward to whisper in my ear, "You look like an angel."

I smile radiantly as we kneel together in front of the priest. "Dearly beloved," he intones. "We are gathered here today, in the sight of God and this company, to witness and celebrate the marriage of William Logan Benedict and Adrianne Rosanna Delemare."

The priest speaks for a long time, and I watch the light filtering through the stained glass windows, sending colours dancing on his white robe, feeling the warmth of Will's hand in mine.

"I, William Logan, take you Adrianne Rosanna to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow."

Wills' eyes are shining, and I choke up as I recite the words of the vow back to him.

The priest blesses the rings, and we slip them onto each other's' fingers, the gold of my wedding band cool against my ring finger and diamond engagement ring.

"I now proclaim you as man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Will leans forward, cradling my face in his hands, kissing me gently as the congregation applauds. My heart is pounding, and my face is aching from smiling as we turn to face our families.

Mrs Adrianne Rosanna Benedict.

_Mrs Adrianne Rosanna Benedict._

* * *

"Adri!" a familiar voice calls as we stand on the steps of the church, basking in the late July sunlight. I turn around, still holding onto Will's hand.

A very recognisable shock of blonde hair appears, tall and lanky with a chestnut-haired beauty at his side.

"Leo!" I cry, letting go of Will's hand and launching myself at my brother in a whirl of silk skirt and rose petals. "How are you here? I mean, we sent an invitation, but I didn't know your exact address and…"

"I couldn't very well miss my baby sister's wedding!" he says indignantly, holding me at arm's length. "The letter actually ended up with my neighbour, but she brought it round, and Helen and I had to hop on a flight the day afterwards to get here on time."

"I'm so glad to see you," I hug him again. "And this is Helen, yes? It's so lovely to meet you."

"You too," she smiles shyly, green eyes twinkling. "You look beautiful, Adrianne."

"Thank you," I smile.

She leans in close. "And I sure approve of your new husband."

I laugh, and am about to launch into a conversation when Will waves at me. "Adrianne, they're ready for photographs."

I make my way back to the front steps of the church, straightening my dress and taking Will's hand.

The photographs go on forever in blinding flashes of dazzling white light.

Then it is the car to the hotel in Aspen, the first dance, the cutting the cake, throwing the bouquet, which surprisingly lands in Helen's hands. I shoot a smirk at my brother, who winks back.

Finally, we make our way back to our car, a storm of petals and rice being thrown over us. The door slams shut, and Will starts to drive, away from our cheering family and friends.

"I love you," he says, glancing from the road to look at me.

"I love you too," I say.

* * *

It takes hours, by car and plane to reach our destination – The Shangri-La Hotel, Paris. It is early in the morning when we finally arrive; dark as our rented car pulls up, except for the lights of the Eiffel Tower.

The doorman takes our luggage, and the young receptionist smiles when he sees the petals adhering to my hair and the way we refuse to move more than an inch from each other's sides.

When we reach our beautiful suite room, Will heads into the bathroom to shower. I stand in front of the full-length mirror, idly picking the pink petals out from the brown locks of my hair, and taking off the coat I've been wearing over my dark teal sheath dress.

The door creaks open, then shuts, and suddenly, Will is standing behind me, his arms looping around my waist as he kisses the back of my neck. A shiver runs down my spine.

"Hello, Mrs Benedict," he says.

"You're never going to stop saying that, are you?" I laugh, turning in his embrace.

"No," he runs his hands down my back. "You're stuck with it forever."

"Good," I whisper.

* * *

In the late morning, we awake in crumpled sheets. I stretch and sigh, narrowing my eyes when a stab of pain runs through my arm, before closing my eyes again. It's no wonder I'm so tired.

"We'd better get up," Will kisses the top of my head, fiddling with a piece of hair.

"No," I say, my voice muffled by his shoulder. "I'm tired."

"Okay," he relaxes back against the pillows, and tightens his arms around me.

Later in the afternoon, we are still to get up. Will did insist on putting some clothes on and ordering breakfast, but by the time he returned, I was fast asleep again, and he had to wake me before our food got cold.

By the evening, it is getting ridiculous. My body still feels heavy, my brain still sluggish, and my arms ache.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Will asks, nervous.

"Yes, I'm fine," I smile at him, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. "Come here."

"Adrianne…"he trails off. I don't need him to tell me that his danger sense is kicking in.

"I'm fine," I repeat. He sighs, and slides into bed next to me, pulling me close.

"I'm just worried because I love you so much," he mumbles into my neck.

I kiss him. "I love you too."


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: **Moments In Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Finding Sky is Joss Stirling's.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

The next day I still feel exhausted, but I drag myself out of bed, get dressed and have breakfast in the dining room downstairs. The walls are a pale blue colour, and the food is delicious, the hot chocolate I ordered doing much to wake me up.

"Where do you want to go today?" Will asks me, flipping through a pile of brochures at his sides.

"I don't mind," I say, absentmindedly, focussed on my croissant.

We end up visiting the Louvre, then walking across to the Basilica of the Sacre-Coeur. The sun is warm on our heads, and the stone steps are endless, climbing up to the beautiful church on the hill.

Halfway up, my vision starts to blur, and I stumble against Will. He immediately catches me, holding me tight against him.

"What's wrong?" he asks, laying a hand against my forehead.

"I can't see properly," I say plaintively. "I think I'm going to faint."

"Sit down," he practically carries me over to a bench. "Head between your knees."

"I'm scared," I whisper as the world starts to swoop from under my feet. I can feel peoples' gazes on me, concerned as they hurry past, up and down the stairs. The spinning motion gets faster, so fast and I can't keep up with it.

"I know, Adrianne, I know. I'm phoning an ambulance."

The last thing I am aware of is crumpling sideways into Will's arms.

* * *

I come to in a hospital bed, a cheerful nurse bustling about the room.

"Will?" I croak.

"_Ton mari parle a le docteur," _she says.

"I don't speak French," I whisper.

"_Je ne parle pas l'anglais," _she makes a sympathetic face.

The door opens again, and Will appears, followed by a tall, grey-haired man in a white coat.

"_Madame _Benedict," he says politely, checking the boards above my head. "I am Dr Morel."

Will takes my hand, runs his thumb over the back of it.

"Why did I faint?" I ask, struggling to sit up in the bed. Will silently arranges pillows to keep me from falling. "Why have I been feeling tired?"

He looks at me steadily. "I am very sorry, _Madame._"

"No," I say, shaking my head. "No, no, no, this is not happening."

"The blood tests have confirmed it," the doctor repeats. "We suggest that once you are discharged, you fly back to America, and have your usual care team to look after you."

Tears stream down my face, and my shoulders shake with barely repressed sobs. Will puts his arms around me, stroking my hair.

"Sshh, Adrianne. Sshh, darling. We'll get through this. It will be alright."

"I'm sorry," the doctor repeats.

The door shuts behind him.

"Why us?" I ask. "Why us?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: **Moments in Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Doesn't belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

"I never expected to see you back so soon," Dr Tate leans back in his chair. "Though I must congratulate you on your marriage."

"Thank you," I smile weakly. Will squeezes my hand.

"We have the results of another set of blood tests – the blood that was taken when you were in a week ago," the doctor's face is neutral.

"How are they?" I ask.

"Bad," Dr Tate replies. I grip Will's hand tightly. "The bloodstream is crowded with abnormal cells – your body could have been producing them for months without you realising."

"What about treatment?" I ask, slowly, fighting to keep my voice steady. How can this be happening?

"Chemotherapy wouldn't be effective," he glances at his notes. "You've been having it ever since you were diagnosed with ALL aged five, and since then you've had six relapses. We could try radiotherapy, but I have my doubts about whether it will work. We can do regular blood transfusions, and that will keep the cancer away for a little while, but…" he pauses.

"I'm going to die," I choke out.

The look on the doctor's face says it all.

There is a crash as Will shoves his chair backwards and marches out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

"Will," I call, running after him, before slowing to halt as the breathlessness kicks in.

"What?" he doesn't move from his position, head leaning against the wall.

"Will, I'm sorry," I slip my arms around his waist, resting my head on his back.

"Why are you sorry?" his tone is laced with bitterness. "This isn't your fault."

"It's my fault that my body can't get rid of the ALL," I say, dejectedly. My head is still spinning.

He turns around, pulling me into his arms. "Damn it, Adrianne. This is nothing to do with you, understand? It is life, and life's cruel. I love you so much. I've barely spent a year with you, and now you have to go."

I feel his tears in my hair, and I pull away, wipe them with the pads of my thumbs. "We're going to make the most of the time I have left," I vow. "We're going to write a bucket list together, and do everything on it before I die."

He nods, laughing weakly. "You're amazing, you are," he says, kissing my cheek.

"Positivity is good thing when you have a fatal illness, I guess."

* * *

_1. Ride in a hot-air balloon._

_2. Attend a masquerade ball._

_3. Draw funny faces on all the eggs in Karla's fridge._

_4. Watch all of the Star Wars films back to back without stopping._

_5. Cross the Golden Gate Bridge._

_6. See Buckingham Palace, England._

_7. Make giant cookies and feed them to each other._

_8. Do paintings of each other._

_9. Whale-watch in San Francisco._

_10. Sleep under the stars._


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: **Moments In Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Ladidadida...not mine, not mine, not mine.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

Of course, we do the easiest first. We laugh hysterically as we draw faces and paint colours all over Karla's eggs, and run upstairs into Will's room where we hide, giggling like schoolchildren.

It takes a while for her to need eggs, but when she opens the egg-box, her screech of "Xavier James Benedict!" echoes through the entire house.

We amble downstairs a while later to find a confused Xav and an angry Karla arguing over the box of 'destroyed' eggs.

"It was actually us," I say to the room at large, and Karla splutters, glancing from me, to Will, to Xav and back again.

Will grins. "I think we'd better move while she's in shock."

We escape outside, and run into Zed and Sky, still laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sky asks.

"Go and ask Mom," Will chokes.

By the end of that week, the paintings are stuck up on the walls of our bedroom in our student flat in Denver. Pictures of the giant cookie contest are going viral around Facebook, and Crystal is working on masks for the masquerade ball being held in the centre of Denver to mark the end of summer.

The girls and I get together to get ready. My dress is beautiful, blue organza with a ruffled skirt and tight bodice.

"Jesus, Adrianne," Crystal exclaims as she laces up the back. "This is almost too big for you."

I pull a face. "Sorry."

"I know you can't help it," she smiles sympathetically. "Here you go," she hands me the matching mask.

The girls all look spectacular in their chosen colours, and we dance away the entire night to the sound of a huge orchestra.

* * *

When Will and I return from our trip to England to see Buckingham Palace, Victor has arrived back with his soulfinder, a sweet girl by the name of Fila.

"This is brother number four, Will," Vick says. "And his wife, Adrianne."

"To meet you nice," Fila says solemnly. I smile at her.

"Lovely to meet you to. We've just come back from England, do you want to see the pictures?" I offer.

"Do you want to?" Vick asks her.

"Of course," she smiles. "I have not been England."

We follow them into the kitchen – Vick's icy exterior has melted now that he and Fila are together, and has been suffering a lot of teasing, especially from brother number five.

Uriel will also arrive at any moment with his soulfinder – apparently it's been taking a while to sort out family arrangements. South Africa and America are far apart, in miles and in cultures.

* * *

We never actually managed to complete our Star Wars marathon, as we kept getting distracted, but we ticked it off as we have tried.

Time has been slipping by, and it becomes an effort to get out of bed in the mornings. I don't attend lectures anymore, but Will has to, and I sometimes go in to see people. Sabrina often comes to visit, or helps me at the hospital when it's time for a blood transfusion.

After the transfusions, I tend to feel a little better, and it's after one in September that Will and I drive to the outskirts of Denver to get in our hot-air balloon.

We soar into the azure sky, seeing the Rockies and the towns below us, little specks against a patchwork countryside.

After that, it's walking hand in hand across the Golden Gate Bridge, getting a friendly fellow-tourist to take a picture of us hand-in-hand against the railings, my short hair whipped around by the wind.

The next day finds us on a boat, in the middle of the sea, surrounded by humpback whales. I'm laughing, and Will takes a photo of me and the whales. We are creating memories that will live long after I'm gone.

The photos all go into an album, which lies on the kitchen table in our flat. Sabrina helps me stick them in the right order, write messages to Will under each one of them, and draw little things in the corners.

Days afterwards, as I become weaker, we move back to Wrickenridge, to the house at the foot of the mountains. Uriel and his soulfinder, dark-skinned, dark-haired Ngozi are waiting for us, smiles stretching their faces wide.

They will be happy together, for years to come.

Will puts on a smile for them, but inside, I know he's breaking. His brothers will have their soulfinders for their whole lives. He will lose me after only a year.

One night, before my health visitor is due for the first time, we walk together, me leaning heavily on Will's arm. He is carrying a bag, blankets and pillows, food, torches.

We find the perfect spot, a glade in the silent woods, and he lays down his burden, helping me sit. In the moonlight, his hair falls across his face as he tucks a blanket around my shoulders, pulling me into his arms.

"The last on our list," I whisper. "I guess it's almost time."

"Don't say that," he snaps. "Don't remind me, Adrianne, please."

Then he starts to cry. I hold him tightly in my arms, pulling his head down so he rests against my thin shoulder. "I love you, Adrianne. I love you so much."

"I know," I whisper, kissing his hair. "I love you too. If I had my way, I would never leave you, not for one second."

We lie down together, and gaze at the stars, silver and cold, billions of miles away in space. "It makes me feel so small," I say as I curl against him.

He just holds me closer, rolling over so we are gazing into each other's eyes. "I feel as if the universe is against us," he says quietly as I trace my finger down the tear-tracks on his cheeks.

"We'll be strong. You'll be strong," I say. "And we'll treasure every last moment in time that we have together."

He kisses me, his hands winding through my hair, sliding down my back. My heart pounds fast and my cheeks burn.

"I'll always treasure every moment I spent with you," he says.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title: **Moments In Time

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, as much as I wish it was.

**A/N: **So we've come to the end. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. There will be a sequel. Promise.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

The days pass, and all too soon I am too weak to move from our bed. Will rarely leaves my side, preferring to spend the days reading and talking to me. The sun streams through the window, dust motes float in the still air.

"How're you feeling, babe?" he asks, gently touching my forehead, like he's afraid I'll break.

"Awful," I shrug, then wince at the never ending ache in my bones. "But there's nothing we can do."

"The nurse is coming in half an hour."

"I don't care."

"Adrianne…" he trails off, staring into my eyes. I sigh and catch his hand, holding it to my heart.

"I love you," I say. "I'll never get enough of saying that."

"I know," he says. "I love you too."

"Do you want to come outside?" Sky bounces into the room, blonde curls flying and Zed tall and dark right behind her. "It's a beautiful day, and it might make you feel better."

I smile. "Sure." It would make them all feel better to see me out of bed. Then I look at Will, who is gazing back at me. "Can you help me? I don't trust my legs."

Without saying anything, he wraps the blanket around my shoulders and picks me up, cradling me close to him. I rest a hand on his chest – I can feel his heart beating strongly beneath my fingertips. He's so strong and healthy, in complete juxtaposition to my fragility and sickness. I wonder if that's why we're soulfinders.

"Don't think like that," he whispers in my ear as we follow Sky and Zed down the stairs. "You will be strong and healthy, once you've had a chance to recover."

He's started to lie to himself – forgetting what the doctor said, shutting his ears to all those who tell him he needs to let go. But it's a hopeless case. I'm a hopeless case.

The sun is shining bright outside. The birds are singing in the trees. It's a beautiful day. I lie on top of Will on the sun-lounger, cuddled close, wrapped in my blanket. I feel like a new-born baby.

Sky is sitting on Zed's lap, on the ground next to us. Crystal is comfortably sat with Xav on the swing-seat, and Trace and Diamond have their heads close together, talking softly. I can hear Phee singing in the kitchen, and I can just see Yves' head as he cooks. Ngozi is teaching Uriel to plant flowers, and Fila and Vick are flicking through a book, trying to improve her English.

Karla comes out, holding a video camera, filming us all. I smile and wave at her, and she laughs, coming to sit on the edge of our sun-lounger, ruffling Sky's hair and making her giggle, and duck away. Yves and Phee come out. Drinks on a tray, little cupcakes on a plate. It's nice of them to do that.

The sun shines. I don't want to go.

I fall asleep at night with Will's steady breathing in my ear. I wake up to his smile. He gets me things, sits with me all day, sometimes talking, sometimes not. He borrows Zed's guitar, and sings for me. I love him so much. I don't want to leave him. I haven't been loved like this long enough.

Please, make it stop.

Everything aches. Sky sits with me, listening to her favourite album over and over on the IPod. Singing along. She has such a pretty voice.

"Can we listen to our song?" I ask Will one evening.

_Stay, stay, stay, I've been loving you for quite some time, time, time, you think that it's funny when I'm mad, mad, mad, but I think it's best if we just stay._

I wish I could stay. But I can't.

"I'm scared of falling asleep," I tell Phee when she brings me a drink of water. She sighs, looks out the window.

"I can't imagine what you're going through," she says, quietly. "Poor you. Poor Will."

"I love him. I love him." I say, starting to cry. "I love him."

I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to leave Will all on his own.

Weaker. Every day weaker.

Will never leaves my side. I can tell because he's always holding me. Talking to me. Singing to me.

The colours start to go. I don't want them to go. Don't go.

"Will, you need to sleep."

"I'm not leaving her."

_I love you. _I try to send to him. But I can't. I can't talk, I can't tell him. I want to tell him so much.

I'm slipping. Falling. Falling. No. No. No.

Will's warm hand brushes across my forehead. Stay. Please. I can't move my lips.

"I'll always stay with you. I love you."

Diamond sometimes sits with us. "The baby's really kicking, Adrianne," she tells me. I can feel her wedding band against my lifeless hand.

"If it's a girl, we're naming her after you."

I want to thank her, but I can't.

Sky sits and cries. "I don't want you to leave," she says. "I want you to stay, so Will can be happy."

She has such a big heart, for such a tiny girl.

She plays music for me.

Pretty songs, music notes floating through the air.

I can feel her warm breath on my face. "Please don't go," she says. "Please." I want to give her a hug – tell her that it'll all be fine.

"I don't know what I'll do without her." Will's voice. He sounds so broken, already.

"I don't know what to say." At least Saul's there to comfort him.

"I love her," Will's voice breaks on a sob. I want to hold him to me, to wipe the tears from his cheeks, to tell him that it will be okay, like I did that night in the woods. That I love him. That I never want to leave him, not even for a second.

My eyes creak open. Blurry shapes. "You're awake," Will's voice is tender, his hand stroking my forehead. I know.

"I love you," he whispers. "I love you to the moon and back – don't you ever forget it."

I love you to the end of the universe and back.

"I don't want you to go."

I don't want to either.

Rain on the window. A comforting noise.

I can't remember what I was thinking. What was I thinking?

"Why is she making that noise?" Crystal sounds scared.

"The fluid in her lungs can't drain away, because she's not moving." Xav. Healer. He'd know.

Grasping onto the little things. The little things.

I'm falling.

I'm scared.

"Will, should she be making that noise?"

"Xav told you what it was. It's okay."

"It's different now."

"Shush, I can't hear."

"It sounds different. I don't think she can breathe."

"Shit!"

"She's dying, isn't she?"

"Run, Crystal. Get everyone!"

"Xav, do something!"

"I can't. There's nothing to do now. She's past help."

"No. No. She's not. She's not."

"We're all here, baby." Will's crying again. "We're all here. Me, and the boys and Mom and Dad and all the girls. We all love you."

I love you too.

"Isn't that hurting her?"

"No, Sky, she's unconscious. She can't feel anything."

"But she can hear us?"

"She knows we're here."

Moments.

Moments in time.

Memories like photographs. Photographs in our album.

Will, I'm scared.

"Adrianne, you can go if you want to," Diamond's voice is thick with tears.

"Why are you saying that?" Will sounds dead.

"She might want permission."

"I don't want her to go."

"I know you don't. But she has to."

"Maybe you should say goodbye, Will."

"No. She can't go. She's not dying."

"She'd want you to say goodbye."

Warm breath on my ear. "Bye, Adrianne." A soft kiss on my lips. "I love you."

I love you too. More than words can say.

Snowflakes falling.

Raindrops splashing. So pretty.

Pretty. Like Sky, and Phee, and Crystal and Diamond and Fila and Ngozi. Pretty.

Dust motes spinning in empty corners of my mind.

I don't want to go.

Falling. Falling.

Fallen.


End file.
